


It Pours in August

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1960s, Homophobia, Late 1950s, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 18:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5550272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi chewed on his lip for a minute, and then looked up at Erwin, "You won't ever leave without saying goodbye first, will ya?"</p>
<p>Gazing back into those bottomless greys, Erwin could feel his stomach twist and turn with a sense of anxiety. Most of the time, he didn't know where he'd be going next, or whether or not he should ever come back to the old town he'd grown sick with. But there were certain things that didn't allow him to cut ties with the past, and the most important of them all was cradled safely in his lap. The devastating question was: for how long?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Pours in August

**Author's Note:**

> Teeny baby one shot I whipped up with Ral. Basically 1960s Eruri with a couple of OCs because we don't want to offend anyone who like any AoT characters teehee?
> 
> Hope you like it~

The Plymouth was washed, waxed and as red as the chapped lips of the young boy on his right. Erwin put the remains of their shared joint in an empty Vipper Mints box and turned the volume up, the dashboard radio blotting out "That's All Right"; the King was at his regal best on that track. It was an early August night, the weather humid and the smell of rain lingering high in the air. A blonde strand had broken loose from his usually slicked back hair, falling over his stormy blue eyes. Erwin'd had the mind to roll up the sleeves of his plain white shirt, a pair of sinewy arms pulling the steering wheel. There was supposed to be a spur somewhere on the left of the narrow dirt path they were driving along, leading directly to Heaven's Hill, the highest place in the city. Sweet irony, all the greasers from Brunswick couldn't agree more. Erwin turned the car on the gravel a little too fast and the Fury's rear end wagged from side to side before getting back on track. A few miles beyond the last T crossroad, the trees pulled back and there was Heaven's Hill, looking over the city with the poise of the Rocky Mountains. Erwin hit the breaks and brought the car to a halt.

"And here we are, sugar," He drawled, as he relit whatever was left of the joint, the sweet, mellow smell of pot filling the car.

Grey irises turned from the window, glinting like the polished handles of the car doors when they settled on Erwin. They peeked at him from the corners of disinterested eyes. Always disinterested no matter where they went or what they did, as if they knew no other shape to take besides the half lidded, furrow browed, slightly bruised glare. The boy pulled himself upright, one cheek stained red where he'd pressed it against a palm for the duration of their drive, and turned his attention instead to the windshield.

  
"'bout time," The boy huffed, fumbling with the black suspenders of his pants, "If I didn't know any better, I'd've thought you were tryna drive me to another state or somethin'"

  
"I am keeping that for the main course," Erwin snickered and blew a puff of smoke in the seemingly passive boy's direction.

  
His name was Levi Ackerman. Erwin had tasted that name for the first time on January of the year 1958, when the now rain-damp grass and crisp green leaves were coated in a blanket of snow. At first, Erwin'd regarded the sixteen year old the way he regarded his peers -which was to say, he didn't really pay him any attention at all-. But then Levi started coming around Erwin's place to watch him work on cars. Everyday. He'd just stare at him through the chain link fence, the same pout on his lips, same sleep deprived gaze. Until Erwin was forced to at least acknowledge the boy's existence. Two months later, they began secretly dating, the raven haired boy usually sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night and meeting Erwin behind Joe's Caravan, the shabby bar where the drunkards and the guys from the Oil Station had their weekly fights.

  
Naturally, the blonde, unmarried, 21 year old wasn't well regarded around town. Erwin wouldn't deny having had his share of stirring up trouble during his golden highschool days, and the apparently well mannered, porcelain faced boy who'd snatch cigarettes out of Erwin's lips before hellos, wasn't exactly what good people called a 'nice lad'. They sure made for a terrific pair. All the more reason to make sure their relationship remained neatly tucked away in dark alleyways and the backseat of Erwin's Plymouth.

  
"Tsk, you're too confident, old man" Levi wrinkled his nose and batted what thick, heavily scented smoke he could away from his eyes before he leaned in to snatch the joint from between Erwin's slender fingers and hold it to his own lips, "What makes you so sure I'd go anywhere with you anyway?"

  
"Because," Erwin hummed, fingers uncurling from the gear stick to almost innocently brush Levi's leg, "You can't deny that you're more into Peters than Petras"

  
Erwin watched Levi trace his movements with eyes that feigned disinterest despite the flicker of curiosity that anyone else probably would've missed, given the great lengths Levi went to cover it up with layer upon layer of blasé.

Levi took one last, long drag of the joint and blew the thick smoke at the roof of the car where it curled back around them like a pair of suffocating arms, "There're a lot of other Peters, pops."

  
"True," Erwin agreed, his hand venturing higher, fingers skating over the small swell in Levi's striped pants. With a small upturn of his lips, he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of those silver eyes, "But you would miss me."

At that, Levi rolled his eyes, slapping Erwin's hand away, and crossing his legs before he could move any further, "Not as much as you'd miss me, I'm sure."

Erwin's lips wrapped around the blunt again, as he took a deep breath and exhaled the smoke in a long stream. Elvis was quickly replaced by Bill Haley and his Comets and the passage of time seemed to liquefy inside the cherry red Fury, "How's Petra doing? Still charming as always?"

Levi frowned, a genuine scowl this time. The chair squeaked as he shifted again, and he smoothed his white shirt though there was not a crease to be seen. Erwin's always wondered how a boy his age managed to keep his clothes so clean after a long day at school, and then some more hours spent with his friends at Pink Berry's ice cream Parlor. But that was just how Levi was; with a tongue as sharp and often filthy as a rusty gutting knife, and then perfectly ironed white shirts and immaculate hair.

"Mama likes her," Levi grunted, snapping Erwin out of his trance, "A lot. Thinks she's a real nice girl, and that I should take her to prom. Little wench knows just how to get to me. Or...at least she thinks she does. Because there ain't no way I'm letting her drag me to prom."

Erwin huffed out a quiet laugh and pulled his legs up on his seat, the white leather screeching under his worn work boots, "I don't doubt she does. She's a nice gal. Long legs, short skirt. All the drill."

"Gentlemanly of you to be talking so nice about her," Levi said, "She don't like you much. Or at all. Says you're no good, and that her mama says you shouldn't be allowed to live in towns like ours."

"I've been in an' out of town for a while now. Hard to say how she spotted me. But I guess everyone knows everyone in small towns."

  
"Where'd you go again?" Levi scooted closer to Erwin, the enthusiasm in his voice unmissable, "You never told me."

"Burlow. Had a nice deal with a fella who was selling a Sunliner. The body was a total wreck but that's the fun part, I s'ppose," Erwin was not much older than 18 when he decided to drop out of college and wander around the state in search for cheap deals for cars. Changing a Buick's battery didn't pay the tuition, but it put food on the table and that was undeniably important. That, and the silver eyes burning with curiosity, just inches from him.

"A Sunliner?" Bingo. Erwin suppressed a smile. Levi's entire face lit up, droopy eyes now burning mercury and the corners of the scowl tweaking into one of those rare smiles Erwin often found himself wishing he could keep in his breast pocket, "Is it as red as they are in the ads? D'you still got it? Does it work?"

"Yes and no," Erwin tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, "An incredibly difficult task. The paint was all scrapped off but you can tell it'd been red once. As for the the last question, 'm still working on it. Have to buy it a pair of new tires."

"Terry Bennet's uncle owns a garage," Levi's voice sounded almost strained with excitement, "Betcha he could sell you tires for cheaper than you'd get 'em anywhere else if I talk to him"

And though Erwin would sooner chop off his right arm than blow out the doe eyed boy's bubbling enthusiasm, he couldn't help himself from shifting in his seat, upper lip curling up in reluctance, "Don't know what to say about that. Terry's old man told me he didn't want to see my face again."  
  
There it went; the picture of wide, curious eyes, a rosy smile, and apple like cheeks all melted away like he'd dipped a painting into a bucket of water. If anything, Levi's frown looked even worse now than when he talked about Petra and her endless snooping, "Why? What'd you do to him?"

Erwin shrugged and looked out the window; the thin layer of glass that stood between them and the city of Brunswick. The glow of light from the city below resembled that of a hundred fireflies, clustered and scattered against the muddy red canvas of a dusk sky. It certainly was a sight worth sharing with the man that meant more to him than the entire sky and what stars it could hold. Certainly worth a couple of empty threats from a town of idiots.

"Nothing much. Got into a fight with Terry's brother. I told him not to slam my car door. He had it comin'"

"But that's bullshit. He can't go around messin' with people's shit and then get all butthurt and cry to daddy about it when they stop him," Levi huffed, "There isn't one good thing about this shithole town."

"'S true...But a couple more years and we'll be on the road, Lee," Erwin crooned and swung an arm around Levi's neck.

Levi leaned his head against Erwin's shoulder and kept his eyes fixed on the balloons of light that slowly started to blow out as the night grew older. Because who, Erwin thought with a bitter tinge of sarcasm, in their right mind and good, neighborly heart, would ever stay up past 10 pm? It was unthinkable.

"You know I can't do that."

Erwin cocked a brow, the words dropping over him like a bucket of icy water. No, he didn't know. Not when they spent most of their time on this hill painting dreams of far away cities where the sky never went dark and the streets were still blazing and bustling past two in the morning. Not when Levi kept calculating, and recalculating the costs of gas, food, and tire changes they would need for said trip over and over and over again like they would have to leave the very next day. For him to come out of the blue and simply dismiss all those nights they spent here out the window was more than a little unusual. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong. Maybe Levi's sulking wasn't just his usual sulking. Maybe it held something more that Erwin hadn't paid enough attention to.

Erwin cleared his throat, careful to keep an ever composed tone as he hugged Levi to him and pressed a kiss into the strands of ink black hair, "What's stoppin' you? After you get through with highschool, 's nothing to keep you here."

"There's one thing," Levi tilted his head back to catch Erwin's eyes, "I can't leave my mama behind, Erwin."

Erwin's eyes widened in surprise, turning his face boyish and curious, "What about her? All kids leave home sooner or later."

Levi just stared at him with a face that would have been expressionless if not for the lock in his jaw and the white pressed lips, "She didn't say anything about it. 'm sure she wants me to leave and have a life as much as any other mother. But she's sick, Erwin, and she ain't got no one else to look after her. So I can't just be leaving her first chance I get 'cause there aren't any cinemas in town."

"'S not about the cinemas, Lee," Erwin's hand fell limp at Levi's side, "But it's alright. I understand."

"I wish I could leave her with my uncle," Levi quickly followed. He craned his neck further back to look well and long at Erwin with an almost pleading face, "Honest to god, I do...but I keep thinkin' that he's gonna say the wrong thing to the wrong person one day, and then end up gettin' shot in the middle of the living room over mama's old couch. And then what's she gonna do?"

"Maybe you don't have to go," Levi's cold hand moved to tightly clutch Erwin's, "If it's for the money, we don't need it. We can make enough here."

"Not the money, Lee. That's the last thing I'm worried about. 'S just that I'm not craved for the small town life, you know? Too many rumors floating around," Erwin sighed and offered Levi a lopsided smile, "You know that people like to talk. Besides, they'll be after our asses in no time if they find out what's going on between us. As sick as your Ma' is, 'm sure you wouldn't wanna give her a heart attack."

"Mama won't care..." Levi almost whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on a random spot on Erwin's neck, "Kenny don't care. Says as long as it makes me happy and ain't affecting my schoolwork, he don't care. Says he'll snap any finger anyone'll lay on me. I doubt mama'll care if her corkscrew of a brother don't."

"But what about the others? Joe and the guys at the Oil Station? Meeting behind his shack was a big mistake."

"They won't do nothin'. Bunch of sissies is what they are. Only pick on people half their size."

"I don't know what to say 'bout that, Lee," Erwin let out a long sigh, moving his hand to Levi's shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze, "You never know when shit'll hit the fan."

Levi fell silent. Erwin could feel his lithe figure wilting in his hold, the feathery black strands brushing his chin when Levi turned his head back to the window. Erwin could only sigh, a long puff that felt like someone was dragging the breath from his lungs. Despite their best efforts to look on the bright side and spend nights under a canopy of stars, to make light of what could happen if any of this was brought to the attention of a wider audience, there wasn't much hope to cling onto. Young hearts could dream for days on end about what the future held, endless aftenoons under a Californian sun and even brighter nights. But not even the sweetest fantasy of freedom and tanned limbs could shatter the thick essence of reality. The great U.S of A wasn't a land of opportunities for people born in small towns.

"But I am still here, ain't I?" Erwin enthused, a powerful tinge of hope in his voice "What does it matter what's goin' to happen in two or three years from now?"

"Doesn't matter too much, I guess. Miss Baniszewski's always sayin' I think too much for my own good," Levi sighed and rested his head back in the crook of Erwin's neck. He reached a hand up and ran it along the low roof of the car. Erwin watched the slender fingers move, and for a moment, only a moment, he thought he could see all their worries being wiped away with that single swipe, "I just like to think this could last forever. I have all these stories in my head -kinda like a movie?-, of how cool life would be if we could be with each other in a place like The Big Apple. It plays in my eyes like I'm watching a movie. I can't help but think just how cool that would be."

Levi's eyes flicked up to Erwin's, and he frowned, that usual pout that Erwin had grown used to seeing on those thin, red lips, "Betcha you think it's all pretty lame, don'cha?"

"Not at all," Erwin lunged forward to place a kiss on the tip of Levi's nose, "I thought about it a lot, actually. You know those movies where they'd drive for miles and miles? That's what I am thinking of doing with you."

"Where would we go?" Levi breathed, eyes still focused on the view beyond the windshield, and fingers playing with Erwin's. Everything suddenly felt a lot calmer, with Levi stilling in his arms. It'd always fascinated Erwin; how Levi seemed to always hold the mood in those cold, dollish hands. How they could be talking about the exact same thing -leaving town, for instance-, and only Levi could decide whether that topic liberated or suffocated them.

"Doesn't matter," Erwin brought Levi's fingers to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to them, "Somewhere nice. Somewhere far away. Would you like that?"

"Yeah," Levi chewed on his lower lip and nodded, "A lot. More than I'd like to throw a toaster in Ral's bathtub."  
  
There was a husky chuckle, as the hand that fell on the warm leather of the chair left to cup Levi's jaw. Erwin slowly turned Levi's head and paused inches away to press his thumb to the corner of bruised lips.

"Leave her be, sugar. Every gal wants to be taken to the prom."

Levi leaned into Erwin's touch, the warm comfort of a flushed cheek pressed against Erwin's palm making his head swim, "Wish I could go to prom with you. I wish I could go everywhere with you"

"I'll take you somewhere nice on Saturday. You'll see," With a firm nod, Erwin curled his arm around Levi’s neck and pulled him the rest of the way to him, closing the aching distance between them.

The boy tasted like cherry sucrets and that sweet pot, dizzying and liberating when he slid their tongues against each other and pulled at Levi's glistening wet lip with his teeth. Fingers curled into Erwin's shirt as he shifted closer. The kiss said everything about their relationship that he just never could. Every lip lock he shared with Levi was his entire world coming together, slow, languid, and with enough heat to melt the world and everyone in it. Every swipe of Erwin's tongue against Levi's lips left the younger man squirming, every nip of his teeth that Levi's lips swollen and bruised like he'd just gotten in trouble with one of the Hobbs brothers as he had a habit of doing. Erwin'd told him a million times not to pick needless fights, especially around kids who had a reputation of breaking bones without batting an eyelash. But every time Erwin voiced his concerns, Levi just rolled his eyes.

And Erwin would really rather listen to the quiet sighs and trembling pants that were slipping out of Levi's lips right then, rather than a snip about how old Erwin was and how he made principal Pixis sound hip and young. /Pixis/. If that wasn't an insult, Erwin didn't know what was.

So without wasting any more time, Erwin took Levi's hand, not breaking the kiss. He pulled the boy over to the driver's seat so he could straddle his waist, and shoved a hand up Levi's white shirt. His fingers brushed along the creamy ridges of his abdomen and all the way up to perky nipples, where they teased with feather light touches.

Muffled as it was by hungry lips and relentless tongues, Erwin still heard the particularly loud moan that slipped past Levi's lips, the arms around his neck tightening as Levi shifted on his waist. Erwin's lips quirked up into a fond smile the minute he broke away to catch his breath. His pupils were blown wide, and the dusky shade of pink that painted Levi's cheeks made his breath catch, as he moved his eyes to the window, his own cheeks colored a brilliant pink.

"Ain't that better than slow dancing at that stuck up prom?"

"Uh huh," Levi breathed, resting his head against Erwin's shoulder, "Better than a million stuck up proms."

"Cheer up, sugar," Erwin whispered, running his fingers down Levi's spine, "It's just a night like any other."

"'m not thinking about this night," Levi mumbled against Erwin's shoulder, "'m thinking about what happens after this night."

"Not anything bad, 'm sure of that much,"

"I guess...I hope so, anyway," Levi chewed on his lip for a minute, and then looked up at Erwin, "You won't ever leave without saying goodbye first, will ya?"

Gazing back into those bottomless greys, Erwin could feel his stomach twist and turn with a sense of anxiety. Most of the time, he didn't know where he'd be going next, or whether or not he should ever come back to the old town he'd grown sick with. But there were certain things that didn't allow him to cut ties with the past, and the most important of them all was cradled safely in his lap. The devastating question was: for how long?

"I want to leave," Erwin began, "More than anything I've ever wanted. But not without you"

Levi just stared back at him, with eyes wide and swimming with questions they both knew Erwin couldn't answer. But how he wished he could. How he wished he could breathe away all the fears and uncertainties with a few well put words and a confident tone. How he wished he could just hold Levi the way he was right then, and stare into irises that held more silver than the sky held stars.

Yet, as usual, Levi held their moods in his hand, and with a twist of a slim wrist, gave Erwin no chance to wish for things they could never have, or to regret not making those wishes. He smiled, sure and sheepish, and ran a hand up Erwin's arm.

"I think you should take me home now, old man," Levi whispered, "Before mama goes to get herself a glass of water and notices her baby isn't in bed"

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Erwin offered him a wry smile as the hand on Levi's back travelled lower to give his ass a playful smack, "Get in your seat."

Levi's lips broke into a grin, and lifted himself over the gear and hand break back to his seat, "You know, you really should be more careful with them gorilla hands of yours. That really hurt"

"I'll kiss the boo-boo better when your ma'll stop being worried sick about you," Erwin teased as he pulled the car back on the gravelly road, slowly descending Heaven's Hill.

"That means you never will," Levi huffed and leaned down to check his bag he'd chucked between his legs the minute he'd gotten into the car, "Say, can I come by your place after school tomorrow? I want to see the new one."  
  
"Be my guest, sweet pea," With a turn to the left, they were back on the bumpy path that led into the faded asphalt road slithering back into town, "Just make sure you won't tell Farlan. He's a good kid and all, but I'll be damned if he isn't a blabbermouth"

"Oh, yeah," Levi looked up at Erwin without straightening up, face crumpling in a grimace, "I don't know why I keep telling him stuff. I think it's some sort of weird magnetism. You just look at him and you feel this need to spill the beans."

"'S good that he doesn't do it on purpose. As long as he knows when to keep his mouth shut ...." Erwin let his voice trail off for a moment, before it dropped to barely a a whisper, "and /around who/, I'm fine with that."

"And honest to God now, almost every senior from your highschool knows that Farlan doesn't only smoke cigarettes during recess."

Levi chuckled, "He's been smoking joints since when I used to think people were smoking garden weeds."

"I don't have anything against some rolling and sharing. I'd be a total hypocrite to preach against dope, but you have to lay off the bud when your mind starts going astray. I've seen that happening to Mikey's dad."

"What happened to his old man?"

"People change," Erwin shrugged, "Sometimes they go up the ladder and sometimes they go down. He was kicked out of the firefighters because he liked to burn his brains a little too much. Maybe that's why I feel like a total knucklehead for letting you smoke."

"You know, sometimes I feel bad for calling you old because you're...five years older than me? But then you say shit like that and I don't feel so guilty anymore," Levi rolled his eyes, "Kenny's been slipping me blue ribbons since I was ten. Think some piece of grass is gonna screw me up?"

"You never know. And I wouldn't like to know. No, thank you," The Plymouth rolled lazily down the main street, passing by dark houses and closed barber shops, the town dwelling in its usual somnolence. It made Erwin's skin crawl with a feeling of estrangement.

Down on the Clerance Road No.2, a strip of dirt that wasn't anything more than a dusty footpath, was Mad Ralph's place, a roof-sagging house that had long ran to riot. The dirty yellow paint was peeling off the wood walls, and the front door was already hanging from its hinges. It was a picture of decay, a result of living a life too long and tiring for a tight-knit community.

'See, rookies? That's what happens to ya old man when you leave home to chase your wet dreams. Ain't no happy endings in our cozy community. The teacher with the nice ass lied to you. The mailman with the stupid khaki shorts fed you a spoonful of crap.' The ramshackle croaked in its eerie voice, spreading the news of the disease like a Prophet of Doom. The entire town breathed a foul smell from its pores, saying a thousand horrible things that made Erwin's ears ring with tinnitus. When the ringing finally stopped, he pushed the brake a few blocks away from Levi's house.

"That's the final destination, kid" He said, not taking his eyes from the road.

Levi said nothing. He leaned towards Erwin, he brushed red lips against peach pink ones for not a second too long, then pulled away and gave Erwin's hand a soft squeeze, "I'll see you tomorrow, old man"

"Sure thing, sugar. Remember to keep those sore throat lozenges with you. You can smell that pot from miles away," Erwin brought himself to smile, despite the wave of sadness that suddenly washed over him. Things always seemed horrible at night, that's what children were told when they couldn't sleep. In that moment, he could genuinely feel like he went back in time, and was no older than 7, "See you around, champ. And save your enthusiasm for Saturday"

"Stop worrying so much, pops," Levi pushed the car door open and placed a foot down on the sidewalk. He chewed on his lip one more time and murmured, "Don't ever leave without stopping to say goodbye first, alright?"

"'M not leaving any time soon, Lee. But of course I'll say goodbye."

Levi hummed in response, pulling himself out of the car and carefully shutting the door. He glanced at Erwin one more time through the polished windows, and they just stared at one another as if trying to take a picture of each other with their eyes, to burn the other person's face into their minds. Erwin couldn't bring himself to turn away.

He didn't need to. Before he knew it, Levi was giving him one last, strained smile before he turned on his heel and ducked behind the bushes leading to his backyard where he could sneak in through the kitchen door like he always did.

The small town life was full of uncertainties, Erwin thought as he started the engine again, and headed back home. You could never know who was going to shake hands with Saint Peter when summer was over. Maybe it was going to be Greta Johns, the oldest lady in town and the unofficial "Neighborhood Watch", as everyone liked to call her. You could never know who was going to get in trouble because they hid cherry bombs under Mad Ralph's doormat. The future was always uncertain. Some thought that was frightening, and -in a way- it was. Yet he couldn't help but feel tomorrow was all the more charming and exciting, when you didn't know where it would lead you. There was still a long way to come between him and Levi. A positive aftermath wasn't exactly crystal clear, but they had Saturday.

And that was enough for Erwin.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome and much appreciated!


End file.
